Canada's New Government Appoints Inaugural Members of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal

OTTAWA, July 3, 2007 - The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, today announced the appointment of the Chair and three Members of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal. The appointments announced today include the Chair, the Honourable Pierre Blais, and three Members: the Honourable Luc Martineau, the Honourable Richard Mosley, and the Honourable Judith A. Snider.

"I am pleased that these distinguished jurists have agreed to serve on this important tribunal," said Minister Oda. "As inaugural members, their work will establish a strong foundation and set benchmarks for those who follow in the protection of the rights of our public servants. This, in turn, will ensure the transparency which our Government continually strives to achieve."

Minister Oda is required to establish the Tribunal under the Federal Accountability Act, and has made the necessary appointments in consultation with the Minister of Justice, the Honourable Robert Nicholson.

The function of the Tribunal is to determine whether a public service employee has experienced a reprisal as a result of making a disclosure. Its creation stems from Part 3 of the Federal Accountability Act which amends the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act to establish the Tribunal. It will be responsible for prescribing the appropriate disciplinary measures in cases where a public service employee is found to be a victim of an act of retaliation.

Biographies are attached.

Information:

Jean-Luc Benoît
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women
819 997-7788

The Honourable Pierre Blais, P.C.
Born December 30, 1948 in Berthier-sur-mer, Quebec. Education at Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière College and Laval University Law School, 1976. Elected to the House of Commons in 1984 and re-elected in 1988. Sworn to the Privy Council in 1987. Appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, 1984; Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Privy Council, 1985; Minister of State (Agriculture), 1987; Solicitor General of Canada, 1989; Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs and Minister of State (Agriculture), 1990 and Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Canada, 1993. Partner, law firm in Montmagny, Quebec. Associate Partner, Langlois Gaudreau, Quebec City, 1993-98. Appointed Judge of the Federal Court of Canada, Trial Division and ex officio member of the Court of Appeal and Judge of the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada, June 1998, and a Judicial Member of the Competition Tribunal in October 2002. Since July 2, 2003, the date of the coming into force of the Courts Administration Service Act, he has been a Judge of the Federal Court. Address: Federal Court, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0H9.

The Honourable Luc Martineau
Education at University of Ottawa, 1977 (LL.L) and 1985 (LL.M.). Called to the Bar of Québec, 1978. Legal Counsel to the President of the Canada Labour Relations Board, 1979-1981. Associate and Partner at Robert, Dansereau, Barré, Marchessault & Lauzon in Montreal, Québec, 1981-1990. Partner at Langlois Robert in Montreal, Québec, 1990-1996. Established firm as lawyer, arbitrator and mediator in Montreal, Québec, 1996-2002. Appointed Judge of the Federal Court of Canada, Trial Division and ex officio member of the Court of Appeal, January 25, 2002 and Judge of the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada, April 18, 2002. Since July 2, 2003, the date of the coming into force of the Courts Administration Service Act, he has been a Judge of the Federal Court. Address: Federal Court, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0H9.

The Honourable Richard Mosley
Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in 1949. Educated at the University of Ottawa. Called to the Bar of Ontario in 1976 and of the Northwest Territories in 1982. Appointed Assistant Crown Attorney,1976 and practiced in the Ottawa criminal courts. Appointed General Counsel, Policy Planning and Criminal Law Amendments, Department of Justice, 1984. Lecturer in criminal law, Carleton University, 1982-86. Named Queen's Counsel in 1989. Appointed Assistant Deputy Minister, Criminal Law and Social Policy, Department of Justice, 1992. Past President of the Uniform Law Conference of Canada and long-term Chair of the Coordinating Committee of Senior Federal, Provincial and Territorial Officials responsible for Criminal Justice. Member of the boards of several international and national organizations concerned with criminal justice and national security studies. Appointed Justice of the Federal Court and ex officio member of the Federal Court of Appeal, November 4, 2003. Appointed as a Judge of the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada on March 23, 2004. Address: Federal Court, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H9.

The Honourable Judith A. Snider
Born January 26, 1948 in Toronto, Ontario. Education at Carleton University, and University of Calgary. Called to the Bar of Alberta, 1982. Partner at Code Hunter, 1987 to 1992. General Counsel for the National Energy Board from 1992 to 1995, member from 1995 to 2002, and Vice-Chairman from 1999 to 2002. Appointed Judge of the Federal Court of Canada, Trial Division and Member ex officio of the Appeal Division, October 10, 2002. Since July 2, 2003, the date of the coming into force of the Courts Administration Service Act, she has been Judge of the Federal Court. Address: Federal Court, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0H9.

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